Albondigas Rellenas en Salsa(Stuffed Meatballs in Salsa)

Albondigas rellenas en salsa translates to stuffed meatballs in salsa. Imagine the surprised face of your friends and family when they slice that meatball open!

No Frozen Meatballs Here!

Growing up, the only meatballs I knew were the albondigas in caldo (meatballs in soup). You know the traditional Mexican meatball with rice mixed into the ground beef. That is still one of my top favorite family recipes. I tried frozen meatballs a few times, but I would never trade them for homemade albondigas.

Hard Boiled Eggs?

Hard boiled egg is a traditional stuffing for meatballs in Mexico. I have also used cheese and roasted green chiles in the past. One year, during the holidays I prepared a pastel de carne relleno(stuffed meatloaf). It was stuffed with whole hard boiled eggs and it was delicious!

We Love Our Beans and Rice!

I was out of beans on this day, so I went with a simple steamed white rice. Then I decided to mix in some fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro for more flavor. I find myself garnishing my plates with avocado all the time. I just like the look of it and I like eating the avocado too! Lol! If you wan to skip the rice to save the guilt of eating carbs, grilled veggies mixed with black beans is one of my favorites. Add a splash of lime, olive oil and seasoning.

Choose Fresh When Possible!

I know it may seem easier to choose a can of tomatoes instead of fresh, but in the end the flavors will tell the story, lol! I am so passionate(dramatic) when it comes to ingredients in my recipes. Don’t get me wrong, I do use canned tomato products when needed, but I will always opt for fresh when possible.

Red Or Green? Red or Green Salsa?

This is the question I ask myself often when it comes to developing a new Mexican recipe. I was almost going to prepare both because I knew the picture would look awesome! Diehard foodie! I opted for red because I had a red chile salsa leftover from another recipe.

Keep It Simple….

Preparing a chile sauce doesn’t have to complicated. In this Pambazo recipe the guajillo salsa is as simple as it gets. It can be used as a base for a variety of recipes. Recipes like this one. You can prepare a large pot of that salsa and store it in the freezer for future recipes.

Albondigas Rellenas en Salsa -Stuffed Meatballs in Salsa

Why not stuffed meatballs? A simple, but rich red chile sauce with tomatoes to slow simmer those beef albondigas stuffed with egg.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 34 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 14 minutes

Servings: 4 Servings

Ingredients

For Albondigas

• 1.25 pounds ground chuck
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 cup cooked white rice
• 2 large fresh eggs
• 3 hard boiled eggs sliced into quarters

For Salsa

• 3 large roma tomatoes
• 1 small section white onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 serrano pepper
• 2 tablespoon knorr tomato/chicken bouillon
• 1 cup previously prepared red chile salsa
• 3 cups water or low sodium chicken broth see link available on post
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Handful of fresh cilantro

Instructions

• In a large bowl, add the beef, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp. pepper, 1 tsp granulated garlic, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 cup cooked rice and 2 large fresh eggs. Stir well to combine.
• Lightly wet the palms of your hands. You will need about 1/3 cup of the beef mixture flattened slightly in the palm of your hand. Place a quarter piece of hard boiled egg in the center. Carefully mold the meat around the egg to cover completely and make round.. Transfer to a baking sheet.
• Once all of the meatballs are filled, place in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them.
• In a large pot, preheat 2 tablespoons of oil at medium heat.
• In the jar of your blender, add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, serrano, bouillon red chile salsa, 3 cups water(or broth), salt and pepper to taste. Blend on high until very smooth.
• Pour blended salsa into preheated pot with oil. Careful it will pop and boil quickly. Add fresh cilantro. Reduce heat slightly and continue cooking the salsa for 5 minutes. Taste for salt.
• When the salsa is at a steady simmer, carefully add the chilled albondigas. Gently shake the pot so albondigas become immersed into the salsa. The albondigas should be completely immersed under the salsa. Cook at a steady simmer for 10 minutes without disturbing the albondigas. Skim the beef fat off the top as it cooks out.
• After 10 minutes, gently stir the albondigas. Cook for another 10 minutes. Serve three albondigas per shallow bowl with plenty of salsa. Serve with a side of rice or beans, avocado and fresh corn tortillas. Yields 4 servings

Notes

The albondigas can be stuffed with a soft cheese such as queso panela or queso fresco as well. I prefer a soft cheese so it does not leak out of the meatball as it cooks.

Tried this recipe?Mention @pinaenlacocina or tag #pinaenlacocina!

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